You can add one more thing to the list of reasons to be excited about the Arrow-verse’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths.” As fans ready for the final crossover to feature the series that started it all, there is more to anticipate. It turns out that the epic story will not be limited to the five-part event airing on The CW.
The “Crisis on Infinite Earths” event will extend to another familiar territory – comic books. Fans would not have the Arrow-verse without them. The story that plays out across Supergirl, Batwoman, The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow will continue into the pages of DC comics. It will be a two-part series penned by the writer behind the original “Crisis on Infinite Earths” comic series -- Marv Wolfman.
Co-writing will be a key member of the Arrow-verse’s creative force: Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow executive producer Marc Guggenheim. Both of the issues will feature a 24-page main story. Material from the original “Crisis on Infinite Earths” comic series and 2010’s DC Universe: Legacies No. 6 will also comprise the two-part comic book installment. How did this comic book foray come about? Guggenheim told THR:
It came pretty early on in the process. We were marking out big picture stuff to be able to pitch something to the showrunners and it occurred to me that this story we were looking to tell was actually bigger than the five hours we're going to have for broadcast.I thought to myself, 'This is a potentially once in a lifetime kind of opportunity; I don't think we're ever going to do a crossover of this scale and ambition again. Certainly not for a good long while.' I thought that having a comic book tie into [Crisis] would not only be a cool thing to do, it would allow us access to all of the characters that we don't have in the crossover proper for logistical reasons, or financial reasons, or creative reasons.
There you have it! Marc Guggenheim also confirmed which characters would be active in the two-part comic book series. Arrow’s Felicity Smoak will be one of the four main participants. Emily Bett Rickards left the show before its final season and will not be around for “Crisis on Infinite Earths.” However, Rickards will be bringing Felicity back for the series finale.
Other players include outgoing Legends of Tomorrow character Ray Palmer. Brandon Routh announced he is leaving the superhero series in Season 5. Routh will be part of the Arrow-verse crossover and reprising his role as Superman for it. Prepare to see Routh step out of Ray Palmer’s shoes, so “Golden Era Superman” can hit your screens!
Arrow’s Nyssa al Ghul will be a part of the comic book “Crisis on Infinite Earths” tie-in since, as Marc Guggenheim explained, Nyssa’s portrayer Katrina Law is busy on Hawaii Five-O and could not participate in the crossover. While Law will not be back to play her, the comic book storyline will give fans a chance to follow Nyssa again.
Rounding out the lead foursome is The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow’s Wally West, a.k.a. Kid Flash. Keiynan Lonsdale left the Arrow-verse shows back in 2018. Wally did get more to do in Season 5 than was initially thought. However, he will not be suiting back up again for the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover due to what Marc Guggenheim explained were “scheduling limitations.”
The Atom, Batwoman, Sara Lance, and Barry Allen will also appear in the comic book story. It is going to be a full house of all-stars! For fans that are disappointed by those of the characters mentioned above not appearing on-screen in the Arrow-verse’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” this has to be a pleasant surprise.
When and where can you read it? Well, you will need to head to your local Walmart because that is where it will exclusively debut. Crisis on Infinite Earths Giant No. 1 arrives in Walmart on December 15, with the second issue bowing on January 19. Its comic store release will happen in February.
Illustrating the main story will be Tom Derenick, Trevor Scott, and John Kalisz. Tom Grummett, Danny Miki, and Chris Sotomayor will illustrate the backup strip also written by Marv Wolfman and Marc Guggenheim.
As for the on-screen Arrow-verse crossover event, it is just days away! Whether you believe The Flash is actually dying, or are wondering if Arrow should be allowed to change the future, there is a lot to anticipate! Not to mention the amount of speculation that is happening as it enters its final stages.
There have been some fun wrinkles in the lead-up to the much-anticipated event. The Arrow-verse crossover event “Crisis on Infinite Earths” begins with Supergirl on Sunday, December 8, at 8 p.m. ET on The CW. The five-part event is one of the things airing new this winter.
